The present invention relates generally to touchpad assemblies, and more particularly to point of sales (POS) units with touchpads that are ruggedized and water-sealed such that the invention protects raw data from theft.
Touchpads are well-known input devices for digital systems including personal computers, games, hand held personal organizers, POS units, and the like. Touchpads operate by detecting the presence and movement of a pointing element manipulated by a user, e.g., a pen, a stylus, or a user-finger. Detected pointing element movement is translated electronically into movement of a cursor on a display screen, into commands, or other input that is recognizable by a machine or device with which the touchpad is used. Generally, a touchpad assembly includes a touchpad, a cable, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), a support lens, and a shield over the top of the assembly.
A touchpad assembly that is not properly sealed can subject the touchpad components to damage from liquids or food spilled by a user onto the top of the assembly. Similarly, a touchpad assembly that has poor internal structural design due to lack of internal support may be damaged by force applied to the assembly. Further, a touchpad assembly that is too readily disassembled may be prone to component theft.
Thus, there is a need for a touchpad with improved sealing, to better guard against damage from spills of liquid, food, etc. into the top of the assembly. Such touchpad should have a stronger internal support to better guard against damage from force applied to the assembly. Further, there is a need for a touchpad assembly with improved anti-theft characteristics.
The present invention provides such a touchpad assembly.
A ruggedized, water-sealed and secure touchpad assembly includes a touchpad having spaced-apart first and second surfaces, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) that is coupled to a cable to receive user-input data signals. The assembly also includes a support lens upon whose surface lie the touchpad and the PCBA, and further includes a shield that over-covers the touchpad, the cable, and the PCBA, in which the shield includes an opening providing access to the touchpad. An anti-theft latch mechanism secures the PCBA to the shield to promote anti-theft and water-resistant characteristics of the touchpad assembly.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.